Estudo do tratamento físico químico da água produzida utilizando Moringa oleifera Lam em comparação ao sulfato de alumínio Physical-chemical study of water produced using Moringa oleifera Lam

Produced water, the effluent resulting from oil extraction, is an emulsion composed of water and oil, which contains high salinity, chemicals, heavy metals and significant volume. If there were time for decantation, the emulsion could break down naturally. However, this does not happen in a predictable time span. Hence, processes are required to promote the breakup of this emulsion and, consequently, the water/oil separation. There are technologies today that can reduce the oil content in produced water, but they are not yet feasible for platform water treatment, due to space and equipment weight limitations, difficulties in execution of works and also the residence time of this water. This article aims to study the physical-chemical treatment of produced water using Moringa oleifera Lam as a coagulant for oil/water separation and compare its efficiency with that of aluminum sulfate, commonly used in the oil industry. The analyzed parameters were oil and grease content (OGC) and turbidity.